Finding The Light
by RainningDoom
Summary: Short: Life in Zuzu City is dull, and Kassandra Collins has had enough. Thanks to her late grandfather's gift she has a shot at a new life in Stardew Valley on Pines-Watch Farm. Long: Life for Kassandra Collins was of city life. Dragged through the life of living in Zuzu city, her spirit fading, until she's had enough. Having a letter from late grandfather and his final gift, the
1. Chapter 1: The Leap

"Hello, thank you for calling Joja's customer support, my name is Kassandra. How can I help you today?"

"Fuck you and your company! I fucking can't believe you people have the nerve to sell us that shit you call fucking TV! All there fucking is, is static!"

"Ma'am, please calm down. Now let me see if I understood you correctly, you bought a Television, and you can not get any channel to come in?"

"Calm down my ass bitch! And no shit I just fucking said that!"

"...P-please hold.."

"Don't you fucking da-"

Leaning back in her seat, a girl closed her eyes tight. Her breath was shaky as she fought back stray tears. Bringing her shaky hands close to her face to take off her headset so she could set it down on the desk. She focused on her breathing, thumb tapping each finger, going down the line then back up. Her breathing slowly began to calm down, as she forgot about the woman waiting on the line. Her eyes fell to the drawer of her desk, a shaky hand reaching towards it and opening it. Inside was filled with gum, papers, pencils, and under it all an envelope, not a wrinkle or crease on it. The seal a royal purple, the sight brought tears, as she brought it to her chest. Memories running through her mind.

_It was late by the time she had finally gotten to the small cottage of her grandfather's home. Eagerly running ahead of her parents to meet an elderly man's arms. A giggle ringing into the sky. "Pop-pop!" She squealed in delight feeling the warm tender embrace of the man. Despite his age, the man was strong, and his beard was large but tamed. The small child, eagerly chattering the elderly man's ear off with how their ride went. They went every summer, and stayed the whole time, but come fall she had to always leave for school._

_Normally her parents left, but that year they stayed. And the elderly man didn't look as well as he used to. And when they reached the small cottage the home looked different, she recalled the old man beckoning her forward, and handing her an envelope. His words made little sense in her young mind. All she knew was when she woke up the next day, her grandfather left them, the child didn't even know how the rest of the summer went by._

_The words of her grandfather echoed in her mind. "Kassie, my dearest niece, I have a gift for you. I want you to not open it yet, as there will come a day when you'll feel crushed by the burden of modern life. And the bright, loving spirit you have will fade into a growing emptiness. When that happens, my girl, you'll be ready for this gift."_ With eyes shut, she thought back to the mess she was. She thought back to her childhood, how it was so lively, and then crashed, and how she felt she was drowning.

Carefully she opened the letter, reading the words of her late grandfather. Her chest already aching, it was so long ago, but she missed him.

_"Dear Kassandra,_

_If you're reading this, you must be in dire need of a change._

_The same thing happened to me, long ago. I'd lost sight of what mattered most in life... real connections with other people and nature. So I dropped everything and moved to the place I truly belong._

_In this letter, I've enclosed the deed to that place... my pride and joy: Pines-Watch Farm. It's located in Stardew Valley, on the southern coast. It's the perfect please to start your new life._

_This was my most precious gift of all, and now it's yours. I know you'll honor the family name, my sweet Kassie. Good Luck._

_Love, Pop-Pop_

_P.S. If Lewis is still alive say hi to the old guy for me, will ya'?"_

Tears, they rolled down her cheeks gently. She folded the paper up and put it back into the envelope. Then grabbing anything she deemed she needed was placed in her bag. It was time to leave this place, and she had a feeling she wasn't coming back. No, it wasn't a feeling, she was set on not coming back.

It was late afternoon by the time she got home. Home for her was a house with her parents since apartments in Zuzu City were overly priced. Also, it was to help with the small family store. Nothing fancy, but it was a nice little bakery. Though Kassandra often found herself icing the cakes, not baking. Her creativity couldn't be held back, not when she got to see the faces of the customers.

The barking of two dogs charging towards her made her giggle as she braced herself for impact. The large companions greeting her excitedly with kisses, tails swaying side to side with a furry like no other.

"Nice to see you guys too. You guy didn't cause trouble did you?" She said, sitting up and looking at them intensely. The laugh of a woman causes her to look up to see her mother.

"The two were fine, even put up with the children in the bakery." Once those words were spoken it was Kassandra's turn to laugh again.

"Well good, I put all that time into training them. I guess they've earned a treat then for good behavior." With the magic words spoken the two large dogs got off, their eyes begging for their rewards. Kassandra got up and grabbed her bag setting it on the living room's table and retrieving the treats from a shelf. Taking out two, she placed them down apart from each other and the two went after them with joy. Smiling she thought back to the letter, the farm had plenty of space, and better for the large animals. While many walks and the small backyard did decent enough, she hated having to keep them cooped up in the house. But for now, she had to talk to her parents.

"Mom, can you get dad, please. I...I have something I want to tell you both." She said softly, though her mother nodded with a kind smile and went to find her husband.

The talk went oddly smooth, though the idea of their only child leaving was heartbreaking for her father. Though Kassandra promised many calls and pictures, and when things were set up they could always visit. There were points brought up that made her pause though. When her grandfather lived there he had raised animals and grown crops, and while Kassandra helped, she was not amazing. Granted small potted plants were kept, but most of the plants were bamboo. But it was simple to care for, growing crops won't be as simple. But animals, well Kassandra always had a way with them. Niko was a German Shepard, Husky mix, while Nina was a Slovak Wolfdog. Both trained a good amount, and well behaved, a proper pack. And it didn't end with dogs, Kassandra often found strays wondering up to her to where she carried small amounts of dry kibble so if she ran into one she could offer some food.

Kassandra already had in mind animals being her main goal with her new life. But they were pricey, so plants would have to do for a while. So with a plan in mind, her parents helped her find Lewis' number and prayed it still worked. When the phone rang the fifth time Kassandra started feeling nervous, though when a voice finally picked up she gave a squeak. Though she quickly discovered it was still Lewis, and told the mayor all he asked for. With her arrival day set and a cheer of victory, Kassandra started gathering boxes and bags and began the worst part of moving, packing.


	2. Chapter 2: Moving Day

The road was long, trees were passing quickly though it seemed to have no end. The city had faded away into the flora long before now. And while a nap had seemed wonderful, Kassandra couldn't rest. Her stomach was a brew of too many emotions. There was excitement taking the forefront, anxiety was in shotgun, tiredness was somewhere in the fold, oh and never forget the annoyed feeling of not having her pets with her right now. But that was for their sake. She had to make sure the house and yard were suitable for them. She didn't want anything poisonous for them to be around and make them sick.

She was stuck in her thoughts when the voice of the bus driver called out. "Last stop, Stardew Valley." His voice was scratchy and tired. She had a feeling he didn't normally drive this far out but didn't ask. Quickly she grabbed her two suitcases and gave him a kind smile as she got off. She watched it pull away, and let out a sigh. No going back, she was here for good. This was what she needed, and her parents had her back.

Looking up the path she caught sight of a figure quickly walking up to her, a small bounce in each step. As they came closer they could make out the features enough to smile brightly, and walking forward letting go of her bags. Meeting the women half way she gave her a hug, though the other seemed to enjoy crushing Kassandra's small frame in a bear hug.

"It has been too long young lady, though clearly, you haven't changed much." The ginger female laughed, letting go of the smaller girl to give her a once over.

"Sorry Robin, but to be fair, I'm not going to be going anywhere for a long while, so you're stuck with me." She said giggling while trying to fix her flannel and t-shirt. "I guess you are the welcome wagon?"

With a vigorous nod and bright grin from the older women to confirm her thoughts, she felt relief wash over her. While she knew most of the town as a child, she didn't need to be overwhelmed, let alone have them see her have a panic attack from all of them. Going back to grab her bags, Robin taking one from her to carry as they walked down the path, heading to the old farm.

The walk wasn't horrid, but still, by the time the two female reached it, Kassandra's legs were feeling like jelly. She wasn't in horrid shape, after all, she did have two large dogs that she took on walks daily, even played tug of war with them. But the walk wasn't made for her when she was bordering on being sleep deprived for twenty-four hours. But she just kept thinking of how worth it this all would be, a little suffering now would be nothing compared to being stuck working for Joja.

When the approached the house, she was able to do a quick look. The house was small, and the porch seemed to have a hole in it. The house would need a serious case of TLC, but she was willing to give it to this home. She had a feeling the house feel apart from the fact that storms down here were not kind. She watched as the door of her small home open, an older man stepping out. His hair was grey with age and stress, though his choice of clothing was more interesting. A brown, newspaper boy hat, and brown slacks with suspenders, he wore a green shirt, but the real catch was his yellow tie. While she was no fashionista, she did find it stuck out, but in a quirky way.

"Ah, Kassandra happy to see you made it, how was the trip here?" His voice was warm, and kind, though it was easy to tell it was business like to an extent, probably as much as she'd be getting around here.

"It was okay, just long." She gave an awkward laugh, the exhaustion beginning to take its toll on her slightly.

"I hope you don't mind, but I thought I'd make sure the house was okay before you came, been a long time since anyone was inside, but it has a nice rustic charm, perfect for starting up here." The mayor spoke with a bright smile, clearly happy to have someone new to town. Though she had summers here in her childhood, she might as well have been new it's been so many years it felt like.

"'Rusty'? More like crusty, but don't worry hun, if you need help fixing the place up, you know where to come." Robin began laughing, seeing the face Lewis made to her comment even made Kassandra smile. They were both right, for now, it would do, but in the future, she'd have to look into repairs and expansions.

"I'll probably stop by tomorrow, I need to look around the place, fix things up for my dogs. I don't want my babies to get hurt." She spoke with a sigh, hopefully, she'd be able to fix it and not have to replace it.

"No problem hun, I'll come down with some lumber and help you. This place is a bit overgrown, but I know you can do it." Lewis seemed pleased with this statement Robin gave and smiled.

"It would also do good saying hello to everyone. A lot of the older folk were happy to hear you were back, but we have some new folks they were excited about a new face." Lew spoke and what Kassandra would deem like a fatherly voice, it held a stern tone like trying to be tough, though held a sort of softness to it. She had made it know to him about crowds and her not getting along, so she was happy to see he wasn't hard on her with this.

Nodding her head she thought for a moment. "Are Fridays still big Saloon nights around here? I remember going there as a kid and it was always full." She said, recalling the feeling of it, and spending late nights with her pop-pop there. The mayor gave a nod, and Robin was saying something, but she couldn't focus on what they said. She could only focus on the aching in her chest, the feeling of wanting to cry, god how she missed her pop-pop and mom-mom. They were so sweet and amazing, though mom-mom had died while Kassandra was very young, she could recall blurry fragments. She felt Robin place a hand on her shoulder, the look on her face was of concern. All she could think to do was hug her, biting down on her lip to stop the tears. She missed them, and this was so much to take in. She didn't even know the full extent of the yard's condition.

Robin just held her, rubbing her back, while also shooing Lewis. Pulling away to look Kassandra in the face, and seeing her state and took to leading them inside the small house. They sat on the small bed as Kassandra hugged Robin tightly, silent tears falling. Robin did her best to comfort her, telling her it was okay. Slowly the tears stopped and Kassandra couldn't help but be so thankful it was Robin who was here. This woman was what she had called as a child 'Summer mom' because of how close the two were.

Pulling away, and wiping away the drying tears she gave a small smile. "Sorry about that Robin, this is just a lot, like a ton." She gave a sigh. She was only nineteen and living on her own, only two years ago she was in high school.

"It's okay hun, you know something, I was in a similar place to you when I was your age. I was pregnant and on my own. I know what it's like, and if you ever need anything, you know where I live. You can always come over." Robin spoke softly to her, a small encouraging smile. It said that she knew Kassandra could do this, that she would be fine. And Kassandra believed her, she believed that she could do this and not fail.

After Kassandra had calmed down Robin had left, saying she'd see her tomorrow. With all her guests gone she took to looking around the small cottage. It had a small bathroom. The tiles were cracked in some places, but the water ran clear. Grabbing her bags she pulled out her toiletries and placed them where they should go inside.

Then she went to the small counter, two burner stove, and mini-fridge she'd have to call a kitchen for a while. She'd have to look into getting it explained, but it worked for just herself. She was only going to be cooking for herself for a while. She grabbed the few snacks from her bag, put them on the counter. There was a small wooden table and a couple of chair in the middle of the room. An empty vase sat on top.

The bedroom had a small bed and a dresser. So she set to putting away her clothes. The empty suitcases were pushed under the bed. With everything unpacked and emotional meltdowns done she was ready for bed. The rest of the farm could wait until tomorrow.


	3. Chapter 3: It's Hammer Time

The sun was barely up when Kassandra heard the ungodly noise known as an alarm. The sound of it blared into her ears as her hand wandered about trying to grasp her phone to turn it off. Feeling the shape of her phone she grasped it and sat up, turning the alarm off. Letting it fall into her lap she let out a yawn, arms stretching into the air as she arched her back. Hearing a small pop she let out a content sigh as she wiped the sleep away from her eyes. She took in her surroundings and felt confused for a second before she recalled where she was. Grabbing her phone she looked at the time then got up, grabbing some fresh clothes and went to the bathroom to get ready for the day. She was quick to brush her teeth, and brush her hair. Putting it into long twin tails as her bangs waved in her face as they were too short to be tied back.

Just as she got out of the bathroom there was a knock at her door. Her heart hammered for a second, but she forced the small fear in her chest down and went to open the door. "One second." She called out as she crossed the distance and pulled the door open to reveal Robin standing at her door, her truck's engine still going from the sound of it.

"Morning Robin!" She said with a smile, happy to see it was only Robin, who was also holding something?

Seeing the look of curiosity Robin smiled. "This is from Lewis, he was just gonna leave it on your porch, but since I was here, he asked me to hand it to you." The women then handed Kassandra the box.

When she opened it there was some seeds inside of the box with a note. "Here is a little something to help get you started. -Mayor Lewis" She smiled warmly at the note before putting the items back into the box and placing it inside. "That was very sweet of Lewis, I'll have to repay him when I have the chance." She said with a laugh, and Robin giggled and nodded.

"I'm sure he'd love anything he got from you hun. Now, ready to start getting to work? I brought some lumber to help do some repairs so you can make things safe. We don't need you getting hurt cause some wild slime got through a hole in the fence." She said, and Kassandra agreed. Though not only for her self since she didn't want either of her dogs to get hurt, they were family after all. Robin went to her truck as Kassandra walked out, closing the door behind her. She did a look at the land in front of her house and felt herself stagger a bit. There were so many weeds and the yard was a mess in general. She sighed, she had a lot of work ahead of herself. At least Robin was here to help with the fence repairs she was going to need undoubtedly. So taking a deep breath to steady herself, she made her way down the porch's creaky stairs.

As she walked to where she could hear the engine, she saw Robin in the back pulling out lumber, around her waist, was a tool belt holding everything she needed. She could see Robin talking cause her lips were moving but the words were too low. Kassandra questioned herself if Robin was talking to herself for a moment until she saw a body stand up from sitting on the ground. She had to do a quick double-take, making sure it was the right person she thought it was. But if her guess was right, she could already feel the grin on her face. Her strides with long and quicker to get close to them.

"Now if I'm wrong I'm giving Yoba five seconds to smite me down, but is that Bassy I see sulking about?" She said with a laugh, but her chest kinda hurt. She recalled him as a bright, excited child. Granted the kid had a mindset that would put a mule to shame. But now the air about him seemed annoyed, and his style of dressing was very dark. His hair was black now, a shocking change since his hair had been ginger. And he even had his ears pierced now? What did she miss while she was gone because it must have been a lot?

The boy looked at her, eyes a tad wide in shock, though he was seemingly trying to mask it. Kassandra wanted to sigh, she knows Robin, and there was no way Robin didn't go home yesterday and said nothing about her being back. Maybe it was because she was gone, and after pop-pop died she didn't talk to anyone. But seeing him try to hide his shock made her laugh. "Trying to be Guy? Seb, you wound me." She said placing a hand over her heart in mock pain. The boy scowled at her and looked to Robin.

"You couldn't have told me she hasn't changed since she was five mom?" Robin laughed at her son's remark. Kassandra let out a soft laugh, shaking her head.

"I tried telling you last night, but you didn't seem to hear me." Robin said, shaking her head.

"Though you've changed a lot Seb, love the hair by the way." Kassandra said with a smile. Oddly enough she didn't find his hair off-putting, it kinda fits him now. He looked kinda good, and she was digging the look. He gave Kassandra a one-sided smirk and nodded.

"Thanks."

"We should get to work now though kiddos, the fences are pretty worn down, and that porch has a hole in it. If we work fast we should have it done by dinner time." Robin said with a big smile. Kassandra felt a bit of dread and excitement mix together, at least her babies would be able to come here soon. "Sebby, would you mind helping as well?"

"I knew you were gonna pull me into it." He said with a sigh, and shaking his head, fringe swaying with the motion. Though he was quick to help unload the wood with his mother while Kassandra went and grabbed their tools.

"I'm going to start at the south end of the fence and work my way up. Seb, I want you to stay with Kassie, okay?" The boy nodded his head.

"Sure I can babysit her."

"I'm not a baby!" Kassandra said, eyebrows slightly knitted together. "Just because I'm shorter than you means nothing, NOTHING!" Her frustration only grew when he rubbed his hand in her hair messing it up slightly. Robin laughed and shook her head, and made her way through the field.

"You kinda act like one." Sebastion said with another smirk.

"Oh, fuck off Seb." Kassandra said, rolling her eyes and sticking her tongue out at him. She watched as Sebastion left while carrying some wood, probably to drop it off to his mother. So she made her way to the truck and grabbed a few pieces as well and then moved towards her porch. Tapping his foot while sitting on the steps was Sebastion who just let out a puff of smoke, cigarette trapped between his fingers.

"I know you probably heard this a million times from Robin, but you know that's bad for you right?"

"Don't get on my case about it too Kass." Kassandra only sighed and shook her head.

"Just don't leave the butts on the ground, okay? I get you're probably stressed, but I don't need them being washed up in the ponds. I can probably find an old bucket somewhere in the back and you can throw them in there." Sebastion gave a nod and took another drag. Kassandra placed down the tools and the wood finally and sighed. How did you do this stuff correctly? She never had to do woodwork, well at least seriously. Sure Robin let her play with the tools as a kid, but this wasn't playtime. She made her way to the back of the house, happy to have found a bucket, granted it was rusted, but it was better than nothing. So grabbing it and going back to the front she put it next to Sebastian.

Looking to the wood she rolled her shoulders and sighed, tomorrow she was going to be in pain, she was certain of it.


End file.
